Mangoes Land Picker In A Jam

August 11, 1987|By JOE KOLLIN, Staff Writer

Mangoes are not a forbidden fruit, but picking them from trees in a public park can get you in a peck of trouble.

Varkey S. Choriammackal faced 60 days in jail and a $500 fine because he picked 88 mangoes in a Plantation park. He pleaded no contest on Monday to a charge of petty theft despite his claim that he could take the mangoes because the trees were in a public park.

Broward County Court Judge Steven Shutter ordered Choriammackal to pay $120 in court costs -- ``a little over a buck a mango`` -- and withheld a formal ruling of guilt so he won`t have a criminal record.

``The park may be public, but that doesn`t mean you can walk away with the benches, concession stand and swings,`` the judge said.

Choriammackal, 37, of Lauderdale Lakes, was cited on July 6 after an officer saw him jump the 6-foot fence around county-owned Heritage Park carrying bags and a pole with a hook on the end.

``If he took four or five mangoes it still would have been improper, but I wouldn`t have brought charges,`` Assistant State Attorney Kenneth Padowitz said.

Kim Suppo, manager of the 90-acre park, said people are free to pick fruit provided they do it the right way.

``We don`t really mind if they come into the office first to find out what the guidelines are,`` he said. ``We`ve had problems with people using boomerangs and baseball bats destroying the trees, climbing trees and wandering out on weak limbs, and not being aware of what`s poisonous and what isn`t.``